DAWN WALTON AND BILL CURRY
From Friday's Globe and Mail
CALGARY and OTTAWA — Bowing to public pressure at home and opposition in Ottawa, Alberta has shelved its controversial health-care reforms that would have allowed doctors to collect paycheques in both the private and public systems and patients to buy private insurance.
An "aggressive" work-force policy to bring more health-care workers to Alberta cities and rural areas to alleviate waiting lists will be adopted rather than allowing patients to pay for certain services to speed access, the province announced yesterday.
"The most important thing is to build a stronger public health-care system where an Albertan's ability to pay will never influence the type of care or the design of care that they can receive," Health Minister Iris Evans told reporters in Calgary after an all day caucus meeting.
Both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and federal Health Minister Tony Clement had expressed concern in recent weeks that Alberta's proposed reforms, which Premier Ralph Klein had dubbed the Third Way, could violate the Canada Health Act -- something Ottawa could address by withholding transfer payments.
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